Some of St. Louis’ favorite root beer floats will soon be available outside the Delmar Loop.
Fitz’s Root Beer will open a second location in South County, as part of the new Gathering Square development at 5228-5240 S. Lindbergh. Construction will begin in early July, and it is expected to be completed before the end of the year.
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The new Fitz’s will be 9,000 square feet, feature two bars (one for drinks and one for shakes), and seat 220 inside and 40 outside, according to Spiegelglass Construction, the general contractor for the restaurant. The iconic root beer brand was created in 1947 and opened its first restaurant in the Delmar Loop in 1993.
However, Fitz’s will not be the only place to gather in Gathering Square.
Popular breakfast and lunch joint The Shack will open its sixth St. Louis location there as well. Managing partner of OG Hospitality Group (parent company of The Shack) Brant Baldanza says he’s been looking for a South County location for some time.
“The challenge for us was finding a space big enough,” he says.
This problem was solved by the new development. “When we found this location in the heart of South County, we knew it was a slam dunk,” Baldanza adds.
The South County Shack will be just shy of 8,000 square feet with 225-250 seats indoors and a patio out front. Because this location is new construction, rather than a second-generation building, the design will be slightly different.
“It’s the same set-up The Shack has always had, but with a couple different design pieces… We don’t have a cookie-cutter process,” Baldanza says. However, don’t worry, “the high energy from the kitchen and being able to write on the walls will remain.”
And for those of you wondering about a Shack-Fitz’s crossover, be on the lookout for a potential mix at this Shack location. Baldanza adds, “With us being neighbors with Fitz’s Root Beer, this will probably be the only Shack that has different smoothies and maybe a new dish that would include a drink with [Fitz’s] Root Beer in it.”
